‘Masayume’ finds Zen in the messiness of being human

Filmmaker and dancer Nao Yoshigai contemplates matters of the spirit and the flesh in her debut feature, “Masayume.” | © WHITE LEOTARDS

Aug 23, 2026

When Tetsuichiro Tsuta’s Buddhist parable “Black Ox” was released in January, it was hard to imagine that we’d see a more perfectly Zen movie this year. However, it faces some stiff competition from “Masayume,” the entrancing debut feature by filmmaker and dancer Nao Yoshigai.

This rich, quietly profound film could almost be titled “Better Living Through Zen.” It’s technically a documentary, although that term may give prospective viewers the wrong idea. Much like her sometime collaborator Kaori Oda (“Cenote”), who shares camera duties here, Yoshigai is working on the experimental fringes of nonfiction filmmaking.

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